Ultrasonic tooth making machine

ABSTRACT

An ultrasonic tooth making machine comprises: a tooth making machine, a work table, and a vibration device. The tooth making machine has a machine tool to perform machining operation. The work table is mounted on the tooth making machine to hold a rough blank tooth, and the work table and the machine tool are able to move with respect to each other. The vibration device is located between the work table and the rough blank tooth to put the rough blank tooth in an ultrasonic vibration environment. When the machine tool is controlled to move with respect to the work tale while the vibration device is powered on, the rough blank tooth, in the ultrasonic vibration environment, is capable of being machined into at least one artificial tooth at one time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic tooth making machinewhich offers the advantages of quick tooth making, high precision size,resistant to deformation and high efficiency of powder waste and scrapsremoving.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A conventional tooth making process generally comprises the followingsteps:

-   -   1, the patient goes to a dental clinic, the dentist grinds down        the patient's tooth and makes an imprint (negative mould) of the        tooth by dental impression.    -   2. injecting plaster into the negative mould, and the plaster        dries to form a plaster tooth model (positive mould).    -   3. grinding the plaster model and implanting positioning pins        into the plaster tooth model.    -   4. injecting plaster into the base model and joining the base        model to the plaster tooth model which has been coated with        releasing agent.    -   5. after the plaster dries, sawing open the tooth model,        grinding and trimming the single tooth model which is to be made        into an artificial tooth, then the preparation for making a        ceramic artificial tooth is finished.    -   6. using sculpture wax to sculpture a shape of a metal base of        the ceramic artificial tooth on the tooth model.    -   7. fixing wax strips which stand in an upright position on a        conical rubber base, fixing the wax strips with iron sleeve and        injecting high-temperature embedding material into the iron        sleeve to cover the artificial tooth.    -   8. heating the iron sleeve which surrounds the wax strips by        putting it into a dewaxing oven.    -   9. when the iron sleeve is heated to a predetermined        temperature, using propane oxygen torch to melt down the denture        alloy, using a centrifugal casting machine to inject the melted        alloy into the tooth model.    -   10. after the iron sleeve cools down, breaking the embedding        material and taking out the metal artificial tooth model, using        a sandblasting machine to clean the surface of the metal tooth        base.    -   11. forming a metal base of the ceramic artificial tooth by        grinding the metal tooth base.    -   12. treating the metal tooth base with sandblasting, ultrasound        and high temperature steam cleaning, coating it with an opaque        layer and heating it putting into an electromagnetic oven,        coating with a second opaque layer after the metal tooth base        cools down, then heating by putting it back into the        electromagnetic oven again.    -   13. after the metal tooth base cools down, piling ceramic powder        onto the metal tooth base, the ceramic powder includes the        dentin color ceramic powder forming the body, the enamel color        ceramic powder, and the translucent ceramic powder, then heating        the metal tooth base by putting it into the electromagnetic oven        to form the ceramic artificial tooth.    -   14. after forming the ceramic artificial tooth, grinding,        cutting and trimming the ceramic artificial tooth to fit it into        the plaster model.    -   15. glazing and putting into the electromagnetic oven again.    -   16. after the ceramic tooth cools down, polishing the ceramic        tooth and cleaning the ceramic tooth and the plaster model with        high pressure steam.

In general, the conventional tooth making process is time consuming andwill suffer the problem of thermal expansion and contraction, andtherefore, the resultant tooth is likely to be deformed.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide anultrasonic tooth making machine which offers the advantages of quicktooth making, high precision size, resistant to deformation and highefficiency of powder waste and scraps removing.

To achieve the above objective, an ultrasonic tooth making machine inaccordance with the present invention comprises: a tooth making machine,a work table, and a vibration device.

The tooth making machine has a machine tool to perform machiningoperation.

The work table is mounted on the tooth making machine to hold a roughblank tooth, and the work table and the machine tool are able to movewith respect to each other.

The vibration device is located between the work table and the roughblank tooth to put the rough blank tooth in an ultrasonic vibrationenvironment.

When the machine tool is controlled to move with respect to the worktale while the vibration device is powered on, the rough blank tooth, inthe ultrasonic vibration environment, is capable of being machined intoat least one artificial tooth at one time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of an ultrasonic tooth making machine inaccordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded view of a part of the ultrasonic toothmaking machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a part of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of a final product of the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an illustrative view of an ultrasonic tooth making machine inaccordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the ultrasonic tooth making machine of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged exploded view of a part of the ultrasonic toothmaking machine of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an illustrative view of a final product of the secondembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged exploded view of a part of the ultrasonic toothmaking machine of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be clearer from the following descriptionwhen viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, forpurpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordancewith the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an ultrasonic tooth making machine in accordancewith a first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises: atooth making machine 10, a work table 20, and a vibration device 30.

The tooth making machine 10 includes a machine tool 11 to performmachining operation.

The work table 20 is mounted on the tooth making machine 10 to hold arough blank tooth 91, and the work table 20 and the machine tool 11 aremovable with respect to each other.

The vibration device 30 is located between the work table 20 and therough blank tooth 91 to put the rough blank tooth 91 in an ultrasonicvibration environment.

When the machine tool 11 is controlled to move relative to the work tale20 while the vibration device 30 is powered on, the rough blank tooth91, in the ultrasonic vibration environment, can be machined at one timeinto at least one artificial tooth 92.

In real application, the tooth making machine 10 includes the machinetool 11, a movable device 12 and a tool magazine 13. The movable device12 includes an X axis movable portion 121, a Y axis movable portion 122and a Z axis movable portion 123. The movable device 12 controls themachine tool 11 to move along the X axis, Y axis and the Z axis, so thatthe machine tool 11 can move with respect to and machine the rough blanktooth 91 at predetermined positions. The machine tool 11 is received inthe tool magazine 13.

In the first embodiment, the work table 20 takes the form of a rotarydevice to drive the vibration device 30 and the machine tool 11 torotate in a vertical manner, so as to enable the machine tool 11 tomachine the rough blank tooth 91 which vertically rotates in theultrasonic vibration environment into the artificial tooth 92.

The rough blank tooth 91 includes a glass-ceramic head 911 mounted on aglass-ceramic base 912, as shown in FIGS. 4-7.

The artificial tooth 92 can be ceramic tooth for tooth implant.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, an ultrasonic tooth making machine inaccordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present inventionis similar to the first embodiment except that: the work table 20 is afixed stationary device, the vibration device 30 is located between thework table 20 and the rough blank tooth 91 to the machine tool 11 tomachine the rough blank tooth 91 which is in the ultrasonic vibrationenvironment into a plurality of artificial teeth 92 at one time.

The rough blank tooth 91 includes a glass-ceramic head 911, as shown inFIGS. 10-12.

The plurality of artificial teeth 92 are ceramic artificial teeth.

When the machine tool 11 is performing vibration machining on the roughblank tooth 91, the (ultrasonic) vibration device 30 can be used incombination with cleansing liquid (which is of conventional art) tocarry away the machining-caused powder or scraps with the cleansingliquid.

In general, the present invention offers the following advantages:

1) the rough blank tooth can be machined at one time into a ceramicartificial tooth (for this machining method, the work table is a rotarydevice, the rough blank tooth includes a glass-ceramic head mounted on aglass-ceramic base), or the rough blank tooth can be machined into aplurality of artificial teeth (for this machining method, the work tableis a stationary device and the rough blank tooth is a unitaryglass-ceramic structure), hence, tooth making by using the device of thepresent invention is real quick.

2) the rough blank tooth is directly machined into an artificial toothby using the machine tool without the thermal expansion and contractionproblem caused by molding process, the size of the tooth formed by thepresent invention is precisely controlled and the formed tooth isresistant to deformation.

3) the whole tooth making process is carried out in a ultrasonicenvironment, namely, there is no powder or scraps left in the toothmaking process.

While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art thatfurther embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ultrasonic tooth making machine comprising: atooth making machine having a machine tool to perform machiningoperation, a movable device and a tool magazine; a work table mounted onthe tooth making machine to hold a rough blank tooth, and the work tableand the machine tool being able to move with respect to each other; anda vibration device located between the work table and the rough blanktooth to put the rough blank tooth in an ultrasonic vibrationenvironment; wherein the movable device including an X axis movableportion, a Y axis movable portion and a Z axis movable portion, themovable device controls the machine tool to move along the X axis, Yaxis and the Z axis, so that the machine tool is able to move withrespect to and machine the rough blank tooth at predetermined positions,and the machine tool is received in the tool magazine, when the machinetool is controlled to move with respect to the work tale while thevibration device is powered on, the rough blank tooth, in the ultrasonicvibration environment, is capable of being machined into at least oneartificial tooth at one time.
 2. The ultrasonic tooth making machine asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the work table takes the form of a rotarydevice to drive the vibration device and the machine tool to rotate in avertical manner, so as to enable the machine tool to machine the roughblank tooth which vertically rotates in the ultrasonic vibrationenvironment into the artificial tooth.
 3. The ultrasonic tooth makingmachine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rough blank tooth includes aglass-ceramic head mounted on a glass-ceramic base, the artificial toothis a ceramic tooth for tooth implant.
 4. The ultrasonic tooth makingmachine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the work table is a fixedstationary device, the vibration device is located between the worktable and the rough blank tooth to the machine tool to machine the roughblank tooth which is in the ultrasonic vibration environment into theartificial tooth at one time.
 5. The ultrasonic tooth making machine asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the rough blank tooth includes aglass-ceramic head, and the plurality of artificial teeth are ceramicartificial teeth.